The Stars-Spangled Banner

32 years ago, when the USA last hosted the World Cup; they were almost a joke. It seemed that any team could beat them. Fast forward to now; and things could not be more different. Managed by former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino; they are a team packed with stars; such as former Chelsea ace Christian Pulisic; Juventus mainstay Weston McKennie and Crystal Palace's outstanding defender Chris Richards.

And the way they played this morning; with a sharpness and pace that was just beautiful to watch; in their 4-1 hammering of Paraguay; meant that they have to be taken seriously. With a 4-2-3-1 formation that plays to their strengths; they rely on speed on the wings and penetrating passes to overlapping runners. And with wing-backs like Sergino Dest & Antonee Robinson; this suits them down to a tee. In striker Folarin Balogun; they also have perhaps the hottest striker in the world; as evidenced by his two confident strikes.

There is also a touch of nostalgia to their team; with no less than 3 sons of former legends. Giovanni Reyna; son of Claudio; capped off the night with an outstanding fourth; while Timothy Weah (son of Ballon D'Or winner George) impressed on the right wing and Sebastian Berhalter (son of coach Gregg) was another substitute. It will be very interesting to see how the US progresses in this tournament.